Wednesday 26 June 2013

The cult of stupidity

OK, maybe the garbage spouted by a DJ isn't exactly the most likely source for sociological insights, but something I've heard on the radio this morning seems to me to be indicative of a prevalent strand in the modern world. The DJ made a comment about playing Scrabble, and then 'apologised' for admitting to doing something so 'uncool', as though to do anything that suggests exercising the brain in the slightest qualifies as social suicide. Taken along with what seems like most people's addiction to 'reality' TV, soap operas and the minutiae of so-called 'celebrities' lives, it suggests to me that mindless - pun intended - anti-intellectualism is rife these days. How do these people, watching their oversized, flat-screen televisions, think that such technologies came about? It wasn't by way of an infinite number of morons coming up with the idea at random, it was by clever people doing clever things. If the world isn't to sink into senescence and stagnation, innovation is essential, but if the dominant cultural meme is one that seems to celebrate dumbing down, where is that next generation of innovators going to come from? Hopefully, there will be enough young people willing to eschew following the herd, to be prepared to set themselves up as targets amongst their peers by being 'different'. Without that willingness, the future would seem to me to be rather bleak.

Love & best wishes to all
Sammy B

2 comments:

  1. Nice post. I agree with this 100%. I hear crap like that on the radio all the time. I am positively sure that 99% of DJs have an IQ somewhere around 12. Nothing they say ever makes any sense at all. Your extrapolation about innovation makes perfect sense!

    Peace <3
    Jay

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  2. Hello Jay
    The sad thing is, that as long as they're not suffering from any physiological injury or deficiency, almost anyone, if they're educated appropriately from an early enough age, has the capacity to be 'clever'. Apart from the implications for innovation, such a generation of educated young people would, it seems to me, have the potential to solve many, if not most sociological problems as well. Given the dead hand of poverty and religion, though, the possibility of such a 'golden generation' is little more than a pipe dream.

    Love & best wishes
    Sammy B

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